Warm truths and cold facts

Precordial Thump by Zoe Whittall ; Exile Editions, 2008 (91pages)

Reviewed by Jane Fearon

The truth lies somewhere between them.between body and mind.

Zoe Whittal's visceral exploration of a falling in love with a pathological
liar strikes the heart of denial. This daring and darkly ironic book
cleverly portrays a heroic paramedic by night and heartbreaking lover by
day. The seductive liar who is saving lives and having make out sessions
in the truck between calls. Whittall's work explores pain with a wry and
candid humour. The tragic state of the speaker waiting for a call is
contrasted with 911 calls, while the rescuer- paramedic character is also
the one breaking the speaker's heart. Ultimately, the speaker concludes, "
I discover you are my opposite.You are a blunt force, a pounding in my
blood". The physical chemistry between the lovers is polarized with the
torment of psychological ambiguity. Ironically, the lying paramedic fakes
tumours and diseases of the body as if to echo the sickness of the mind's
pathos.

Whittal's portraits are compassionately engaged with the lover whose lies
are not calculated, but rather a symptom of some dis/ease. This very human
portrayal is punctuated with the complicated memories of a love affair. At
the same time, the speaker studies her own denial and immersion in these
lies and struggles with the tension between belief and deception, love and
betrayal. Vulnerability is exposed in the language and imagery of the body
in pain, in crisis, and in jeopardy. The paramedic expertly finds the soft
spots.

In Precordial Thump, poetry is a vehicle along the route to intuitive truth
juxtaposed with cold lines of data. Whittall splatters the imprints left on
the heart by such an affair with luridly comic intensity. She engages the
reader with candid responses, memories, and raw emotion in a compelling
heart/wrench of a work.

Canada on the margins - a sobering scenario

Stampede! The Rise of the West and Canada's New Power Elite by Gordon
Pitts.

Key Porter Books Ltd., Toronto, 2008 (360 pages)

Reviewed by William Sheridan

Globe and Mail Business writer Gordon Pitts has given us a (political)
science fiction scenario which postulates a shift in power from Central
Canada to the periphery regions (the West, and Newfoundland-Labrador). As
Pitts sees it, this shift is inevitable, as the commodity economy resurges
and the manufacturing economy declines.

What Stampede! sets out to do is (hypothetically) chronicle the social and
political implications of the nouveau riche as they assume dominance over
Canada's political economy. Apparently there will be both winners and
losers, benefits and detriments. From the descriptions he proposes, this
new power elite will behave as an updated version of the Robber Barons of
the Gilded Age of the latter half of 19th century America - too much money
and power can do that to people!

The claim Pitts makes is that this power shift will be more momentous than
any other event in Canada's 140 year history - with effects surpassing those
of the transcontinental railway, the Great Depression, or the post-Second
World War economic boom. How much of this scenario is really credible?!
It's hard to tell. Some, or much of it could very possibly happen, but all
of it will most certainly not happen.

The entire scenario does, nevertheless, make for some very good talking and
debating points. This is actually the social role of science fiction - to
present a stark vision of some scientifically or technologically driven
social trend that pushes society into absurd or dangerous extremes. The
paramount point Pitts chooses to emphasize about this assumed power shift,
is the impact of the growing tar sands wealth production on the West and the
remainder of the country.

Stampede! dazzles us with figures about increasing oil output, resource
revenues, environmental impacts and per capita incomes. All of these
figures are worrisome because the new elite (with the help of the old elite)
will seek to internalize the benefits of tar sands wealth (keep most of the
profits for themselves), and externalize the detriments (force everyone else
to bear the costs of environmental degradation). This really is science
fiction scenario writing at its best - by projecting undesirable
possibilities, the author invites readers to confront the unacceptable, and
perhaps look for, and lobby for alternatives. Even if the general trends
are inevitable, none of the particular outcomes are necessary - but readers
will need to mobilize if they want to ensure better outcomes - otherwise
they will see the rise of the West based on a return to Social Darwinism.

William Sheridan is an Advisor on Knowledge Management with Informetrica
Limited, a company doing economic research and policy development in Ottawa.

High seas laid low

Seasick: The Global Ocean in Crisis by Alanna Mitchell. McClelland &
Stewart; Toronto, 2009.

Reviewed by Michael Geisterfer

When I was a young journalist in the early eighties covering the wars

in Central America, I took some time off to do some snorkeling from a

desolate beach off the northern coast of Honduras. It was there in the

silent crystalline waters that I caught my first glimpse of the ocean

- and it terrified me more than anything I'd seen on land. As I

glided over the last shelf of coral reef, the ocean dropped away from

under me to such a profound depth that not even the brilliant rays of

the sun could penetrate it, and I was a speck on its surface, an

innocuous piece of flotsam on the back of an unfathomable living

organism. Thus the terror: it was a visceral experience of my own

extreme insignificance.

Still, after reading Alanna Mitchell's new book Seasick: The Global

Ocean in Crisis, I'm not so sure that my relationship with the ocean

is as benign and inconsequential as all that. According to Mitchell,

the carbon emissions I emit driving my Honda Civic to work each day are

upsetting the delicate ph balance of the oceans and impeding their

ability to create the oxygen us landlubbers need to survive. The ocean

is like a switch, she says. Switched on, it is the womb through which

all life on the planet is made possible. Turn it off and we all die.

Apparently it is our choice.

While few would argue that humans have not been the best caretakers of

their habitat, there is still considerable debate about the extent to

which human activity is the root cause of the earth's current

environmental crisis. The question is not simply whether humans as a

collective are capable of impacting an eco-system as enormous and

seemingly impenetrable as that of the ocean, but also whether we are

part of a process of destruction and re-birth that is far greater than

us? The distinction is pivotal and likely springs from our innate sense

of self-preservation.

If human behaviour is the root cause of climate change and its negative

impact on the health of earth's oceans, then there is hope. All we

need to do is correct our behaviour, reverse our current trajectory

towards self-destruction and the planet will be saved. On the other

hand, if we are at the mercy of forces larger than ourselves -agents

of change for which we might be simple accelerants - then things may

not look so bright for us as a species.

Whatever the case, Mitchell takes her journalistic scalpel to expose

the ailments facing the world's oceans so that we can see what we are

dealing with. Her book is a wake-up call to all those who believed we

could pillage the ocean for her treasures without any consequence. The

question remains, is it too late?

Where are the Waters of Yesteryear?

The Great Lakes: The Natural History of a Changing Region by Wayne Grady.
Douglas & McIntyre; Toronto, 2007

Reviewed by Christine St. John

This lovely volume is a grand tribute to the great lakes area, so much of
which we seem to take for granted, if we are even aware of the existence of
the true richness of natural beauty that abounds in our own country. We say
we do, but frankly, it is often little more than lip service. So take time
to explore this book and appreciate the spectacular scenery it provides. One
of the many favourites I found was the "centrefold" of the herring gull; it
is both touching and magnificent. You will discover your own favourites.

There is a lot of thorough research into the geological origins and
development of the area (complete with scientific diagrams) as well as its
current state. Suggestions for further reading are provided at the end of
the book as well as a list of scientific names of the plants and animals.

The beauty of the illustrations in this book is a major attraction - it is
worth buying for the photographs alone. But read it.as you progress, you
will feel an increasing sense of awe and pride in this amazing piece of
nature. Also, one should feel a sense of urgency in ensuring that we
preserve such a valuable part of our country. We have made some progress
(for example, did you know that the bold eagle, a native to the area, was
killed as vermin until the US Bald Eagle Act of 1940), but there is still so
much to do. 55% of all Great Lakes residents oppose degradation of the
their area (p.334), but if this is seen as a positive sign of the need to
act, we are in trouble, and all I can add is that we should watch out for
news of the GRAND Canal to resurface.

Words of warning are provided by Andrew Nikiforuk: "The Great Lakes.darkly
reflect how a global tradefest can turn into an ecological makeover. What
was once a distinct North American body of water.is now little more than a
degraded multicultural aquarium." (p. 274).

This book is a lovely wake-up call.

OIWF Blog Post

Shakedown: How Our Government is Undermining Democracy in the Name of Human
Rights by Ezra Levant. McClelland & Stewart Ltd.; Toronto, Ontario, 2009.

Reviewed by Donald Officer

Nice people with reasonable attitudes and conciliatory middle of the road
opinions generally don't need protection from either the establishment or
the oft polled masses. As Maclean's Mark Steyne observes in the "Foreword"
to Shakedown, "It's offensive speech that requires legal protection." In
Levant's book, both Steyne and Levant take that declarative position as a
given requiring no further justification. I would be inclined to agree with
them, but a surprising number of our citizens no longer accept free speech
at face value. Have today's readers become too sophisticated to recognize
their own basic rights?

Unintended results flow from that cultural dissonance which follows the
irresistible force of socioeconomic imperative meeting the immovable object
of basic human behaviour. In plain English, we resist change. We share a
sense of being overwhelmed by the consequences and counter consequences of
society's response to the way people respond or don't respond to shifting
demographics, altering status symbols, new money or the new look of the body
politic etc. To head off the anxiety, intercessionary institutions like
human rights commissions are set up to referee the rougher interfaces. As
even Levant acknowledges, these bodies have done good work in facilitating a
more just society.

However, none of the sometimes unhappy authoritarian oversteps of the
commissions and quasilegal bodies created to oversee the transition to
social equality should come as a surprise. True, it is ironic that the
scolding comes in the name of democracy and freedom. In his "Introduction"
to Shakedown Levant describes his being hauled before the Alberta Human
Rights Commission and asked to explain his intent in publishing the infamous
Danish cartoons caricaturing the prophet Mohammed in the Western Standard.
Probably that reprinting was an unwise, somewhat insensitive decision. Yet
consider the chilling significance of the hearing. Like a pupil being
humiliated before the principal, Levant was being asked to provide motives
for exercising free speech.

Often the most effective solution, the best response to words that cross
some significant line is simply social consequences. Arbitrary official
intervention where circumstances do not merit such ham handed intrusion
tends to backfire. This applies much more to adults with an expectation that
they will be protected under the law against restraint of expression. Some
latitude should also apply to the individual exercising judgment in the
interests of safety or making a reasonable well-intentioned effort to be a
good citizen.

In Shakedown Ezra Levant presents examples that include an employee of
middle Eastern descent who made eyebrow-raising trips to New York City circa
9/11. This individual had previously expressed interest in flying airplanes
and delivered a few choice, strongly worded anti-American monologues. When a
colleague telephoned the police and expressed concern about a possible
security risk, her action would eventually lead to an anti discriminatory
defence on behalf of the individual with the disturbing profile being
undertaken by the BCHR Commission against the employing company and the
suspicious caller. Apparently, despite obvious evidence of questionable
activity and no evidence of any workplace prejudice or retaliation, it was
his fellow employee who would be put through the ringer for making the call.

If this is indeed what happened, imagine the net effect of this kind of
intervention on all parties. Elsewhere in the book the author cites an
ex-McDonald's employee with a chronic skin condition who successfully won a
wrongful dismissal claim through commission intervention when she complained
that the chain's mandatory hand washing policy was too painful to comply
with regardless of any need for hygiene. An accommodation might have been
possible, but public health should also be accommodated. We need to know
more about these cases.

Levant's point in describing these and many other situations including the
"politically correct" attempts at muzzling writers like Mark Steyn who
wrote vigorously of an "Islamic threat" seems to be that the HRC's and their
ilk have too much time on their hands and a mandate that ends by encroaching
on everyone's freedoms - albeit "for our own good". This book provokes
thought and presents plausible accounts of skewed and over zealous
procedures we need to ponder.

The author does wander and repeat himself in the blogging tradition,
although he is lucid and generally pertinent. At times he appears to be
lashing out in a very broad manner. He has a reputation in the blogosphere
and among the chattering classes for outrageous, tendentious opinion, but
shows forbearance here. If his facts are correct and his contexts can be
defended, attention should be paid. Reading this book at least underscores
the dangers of paternalism and bureaucracy. People like Levant may be
perceived as annoying windbags, but they also let in some essential fresh
air.

For the full review go to Don's Diablogue at
<http://donsdiablogue.blogspot.com/> http://donsdiablogue.blogspot.com/ or
to find it and similar reviews, try InSite Reviews
<http://www3.sympatico.ca/cypher/InSite.htm>
http://www3.sympatico.ca/cypher/InSite.htm